U.S. patent number 6,708,876 [Application Number 10/180,589] was granted by the patent office on 2004-03-23 for solar powered lighted mailbox.
Invention is credited to Joseph C. Shirah.
United States Patent |
6,708,876 |
Shirah |
March 23, 2004 |
Solar powered lighted mailbox
Abstract
A solar powered lighted mailbox for identifying more easily the
addresses of houses or homes. The solar powered lighted mailbox
includes a mail-receiving assembly including a box having walls and
an open front end, and also including a door being hingedly
attached to the box and being closable over the open front end; and
also includes an address display assembly being mounted to the box
and including racks being attached to the box; and further includes
a light-emitting assembly being mounted to the box for emitting
light.
Inventors: |
Shirah; Joseph C. (Wellborn,
FL) |
Family
ID: |
31975853 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/180,589 |
Filed: |
June 27, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
232/38;
40/566 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F
7/10 (20130101); A47G 29/1209 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D 091/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;232/38,17 ;40/566
;362/154,155 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Miller; William L.
Claims
I claim:
1. A solar, powered lighted mailbox comprising: a mail-receiving
assembly including a box having side, end, and bottom walls and an
open front end, and also including a door being hingedly attached
to said box and being closable over said open front end, said box
having openings in said side walls thereof, said mail-receiving
assembly further including windows being disposed in said openings;
an address display assembly being mounted to said box and including
racks being attached to said box; a light-emitting assembly being
mounted to said box for emitting light; and each said rack being
mounted upon said box and being disposed over a respective one of
said windows; each said rack having a main planar portion having an
opening being disposed therethrough and extending approximately a
length thereof, and also having longitudinal end portions which are
angled relative to said main planar portion and which form tracks;
each said rack having a generally C-shaped lateral
cross-section.
2. A solar powered lighted mailbox as described in claim 1, wherein
said address display assembly further includes a plurality of panel
members being removably disposed upon said tracks, each of said
panel members having an opening being disposed therethrough, said
opening of said panel member being structured to form a particular
number.
3. A solar powered lighted mailbox as described in claim 2, wherein
said light-emitting assembly includes a solar panel being attached
to a top of said box for collecting solar energy from the sun and
for converting the solar energy to electrical energy, and also
includes a battery being mounted in said box and being connected
with wires to said solar panel, and further includes a photo diode
being connected to said battery, and also includes a light socket
member being mounted in said box and being connected to said photo
diode, and further includes a light-emitting member being removably
disposed in said light socket member for emitting light in said box
and through said windows, said openings through said racks, and
said openings of said panel members.
4. A solar powered lighted mailbox as described in claim 3, wherein
said solar panel includes battery charging circuitry.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lighted mailboxes and more
particularly pertains to a new solar powered lighted mailbox for
identifying more easily the addresses of houses or homes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of lighted mailboxes is known in the prior art. More
specifically, lighted mailboxes heretofore devised and utilized are
known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious
structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs
encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for
the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,540; 5,460,325;
1,659,351; 5,649,378; 6,102,548; and U.S. Pat. No. Des.
313,106.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives
and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new
solar powered lighted mailbox. The prior art includes solar panels
for lighting up mailboxes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be
described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new solar
powered lighted mailbox which has many of the advantages of the
lighted mailboxes mentioned heretofore and many novel features that
result in a new solar powered lighted mailbox which is not
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
the prior art lighted mailboxes, either alone or in any combination
thereof. The present invention includes a mail-receiving assembly
including a box having walls and an open front end, and also
including a door being hingedly attached to the box and being
closable over the open front end; and also includes an address
display assembly being mounted to the box and including racks being
attached to the box; and further includes a light-emitting assembly
being mounted to the box for emitting light. None of the prior art
includes a rack having an elongate opening through which light is
passed, and also includes panel members having openings which are
structured as numerals and through which light is passed.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important
features of the solar powered lighted mailbox in order that the
detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood,
and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better
appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that
will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject
matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the
invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is
not limited in its application to the details of construction and
to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out
in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology
and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description
and should not be regarded as limiting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new solar
powered lighted mailbox which has many of the advantages of the
lighted mailboxes mentioned heretofore and many novel features that
result in a new solar powered lighted mailbox which is not
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
the prior art lighted mailboxes, either alone or in any combination
thereof.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new
solar powered lighted mailbox for identifying more easily the
addresses of houses or homes.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
new solar powered lighted mailbox that is easy and convenient to
set up and use.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a
new solar powered lighted mailbox that is energy efficient and
doesn't add cost to the user's utility bill.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the
various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are
pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming
a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the
invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects
attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated
preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than
those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is
given to the following detailed description thereof. Such
description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new solar powered lighted mailbox
according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1
through 3 thereof, a new solar powered lighted mailbox embodying
the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally
designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the solar powered lighted
mailbox 10 generally comprises a mail-receiving assembly including
a box 11 having walls 12 and an open front end 13, and also
including a door 14 being hingedly and conventionally attached to
the box 11 and being closable over the open front end 13. The box
11 has openings 15 being disposed through the walls 12 thereof. The
mail-receiving assembly further includes windows 16 being
conventionally disposed in the openings 15. The mail-receiving
assembly also includes a handle 17 being conventionally attached to
an outer side of the door 14 for opening and closing the door 14,
and further includes a flag member 18 being pivotally and
conventionally attached to an outer side of one of the walls 12 of
the box 11.
An address display assembly is conventionally mounted to the box 11
and includes racks 19 being conventionally attached to the box 11.
Each rack 19 is conventionally mounted upon the box and is disposed
over a respective one of the windows 16 with each rack 19 having a
main planar portion 20 having an elongate opening 21 being disposed
therethrough and extending approximately a length thereof, and also
having longitudinal end portions 22,23 which are angled relative to
the main planar portion 20 and which form tracks. Each rack 19 has
a generally C-shaped lateral cross-section. The address display
assembly further includes a plurality of panel members 25 being
removably disposed upon the tracks. Each of the panel members 25
has an opening 26 being disposed therethrough with the opening 26
of the panel member 25 being structured to form a particular
numeral.
A light-emitting assembly is conventionally mounted to the box 11
for emitting light. The light-emitting assembly includes a solar
panel 27 being conventionally attached to a top of the box 11 for
collecting solar energy from the sun and for converting the solar
energy to electrical energy, and also includes a battery 28 being
conventionally mounted in the box 11 and being connected with wires
29 to the solar panel 27, and further includes a photo diode 30
being conventionally connected to the battery 28, and also includes
a light socket member 31 being conventionally mounted in the box 11
and being conventionally connected to the photo diode 30, and
further includes a light-emitting member 32 being removably
disposed in the light socket member 31 for emitting light in the
box 11 and through the windows 16, the openings 21 through the
racks 19, and the openings 26 of the panel members 25. The solar
panel 27 also includes battery charging circuitry.
In use, the solar panel 27 would collect the solar energy which is
converted to electrical energy and stored in the battery 28, and
the battery 28 would energize the light-emitting member 32 which
would emit light through the windows and through the openings 26 of
the panel members 25 so that the numerals indicating the address
would be easily visible for guests and others.
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of
the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above
description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the
manner of usage and operation will be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized
that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the
invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form,
function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed
readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all
equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and
described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by
the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the solar powered lighted mailbox. Further, since
numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those
skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the
exact construction and operation shown and described, and
accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be
resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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